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0-. s. NEWSOM 8 L. OXLEY. TRACE FASTENING.

N0. 381,884. Patented Apr. 2 1, 1888.

C/ZarZesSflewsoW m Jamel Oxfl'qy. WITA ESSES, INVENTORU.

.dttorney I UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE CHARLES S. NEWSOM AND LEMUEL OXLEY, OE ATHENS, OHIO, ASSIGNORS, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO SAID NEWSOM, ROBERT E. HAMBLIN, ANDHENBY R. MATHIAS, ALL OF SAME PLACE.

TRACE-FASTENING.

SPECIFICATION forming part bf Letters Patent-No. 381,884, dated April 24,1888.

Application filed February 23, 1888. Serial No. 264,956. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES S. N EwsoM and LEMUEL ()XLEY, citizens of the United States of America, residing at Athens, in the county of Athens and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trace-Fastenings for Whiffletrees; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which forms a part of this specification.

1 Our invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in trace fasteners for whiffletrees; and it consists in the novel construction and arrangement of the parts thereof, which will be more fully hereinafter described,

and particularly pointed out inthe claim.

The object of our invention is to provide an attaching and detaching device in connection with a whiffletree for securing and releasing the trace or tug, the construction thereof be- 2 5 ing simple and effective, strong and durable, easily handled and readily understood, and cheaply manufactured. We attain this object by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing,wherein a perspective view 0 of a portion of awhiffletree with our improve ment applied in connection therewith is shown, together with a portion of a tug or trace in full lines detached, and in dotted lines applied to the whiffletree and secured by our improved device.

A indicates the whiffletree, which is preferably formed with a recess,a, and,if so desired, this recess may be dispensed with, applying ourimprovement toawhiffletree alreadyin use.

B indicates an elongated spring-arm, which is secured to the whiffletrec and extendsadjacent to the end thereof, being formed with an opensided loop, I), and an upwardly-bent end, b. The upwardly-bent end 12 facilitates the operation of raising and lowering this spring-arm in attaching and detaching the tug O, and when the said tug O is applied to the whiftletree, as shown in dotted lines, the loop I) fits over the upper edge of the same, as shown.

A great advantage of our improvement is the simplicity of construction and operation, which necessarily renders it cheap to manufacture.

Having thus described our invention, we clairn- The combination, with a whiffletree, of an elongated spring-arm having aloop, b, bent as set forth,and an outwardly-bent end, b,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affixoursignatures in presence of two witnesses.

1 CHARLES S. NEWSOM.

LEMUEL OXLEY.

Witnesses: CHARLES H. MINTUN, G. S. WELOH. 

